Out of the Tulgey Wood
by Warrior Nun
Summary: The village of Berk will never be the same after the arrival of one of the most feared beasts known to man...the Jabberwock. Toothless, to Hiccup. May the Gods have mercy on them. Set after Jabberwocky
1. Chapter 1: Toothless and Hiccup

Since there are some people who wanted to see the sequel to Jabberwocky, here it is. This takes place after Hiccup brought Toothless back to his village.

Pairing(s): ToothCup, one-sided Astrid/Hiccup (maybe), one-sided Vorpal(OC)/Hiccup (?)

Warning(s): Slash/yaoi, possible violence in any form, strong language, any case of sudden Out of Character moments

Disclaimer: I do not own either How to Train Your Dragon or Jabberwocky, they are respectively owned by Cressida Cowell, Dreamworks, and Lewis Carroll. OCs, on the other hand, I do hold rights to.

Thanks to my beta: Gabriel Nichole

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Chapter 1

Hiccup sighed as he felt the sun's rays upon his face, the birds chirp oh-so cheerfully outside. He was about to sit up and stretch out his arms but felt himself being restrained, at least around the waist area. Hiccup grope around what is holding him, from what he is feeling that the texture is smooth and soft but yet firm. His suspicions are answered when he heard a sigh behind him as he felt himself being pulled closer to a something strong and bare.

"It's too early…sleep…" he heard a familiar groggy voice behind him.

The auburn haired youth turned his neck enough to see the familiar mop of dark hair and the olive-toned skin that left bare by the sheets. A murmur escaped from his lips as he nuzzled against Hiccup's hair, inhaling his natural scent.

Oh, he remembered now…

It was only 24 hours ago, but he brought in the infamous king of the Tulgey Wood, the Jabberwock. Also known as Toothless…

Long story, that is for another time.

He remembered how shocked his father and the rest of the Berk village were when he brought the Jabberwock in after accepting the bet from his cousin, Snotlout, the night before. The wager is that if he wanted to be part of Snotlout's group, he had to journey into the Tulgey Wood alone to take down the Jabberwock, only to bring either its head or heart back to the village as proof. After the whole…brouhaha, for the better lack of word, in the Tumtum Tree oasis- the heart of the Tulgey Wood- Hiccup chose the alternative:

He brought back his heart, figuratively speaking.

Of course, whether or not that he is officially part of Snotlout's group…he no longer gives a damn about it. Right now is that he had to deal with the fact that his village are gossiping on whether or not that this is either a hoax or some kind of trickery or what-not. Since it is understandable that no one had seen the Jabberwock's appearance for who knows how many years…centuries even. And after telling his story so many times when he got back, he was emotionally drained.

Hiccup blinked out of his thoughts when he felt the arm tighten around his waist a bit, as Toothless cuddled him his make-shift teddy bear. He sighed throughout his nose and figured that another few minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt.

After all, nothing much is going to go on today.

Right?

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Please comment and review, flames will be used for barbeque.


	2. Chapter 2: Stoick

A thousand thanks to Gabriel Nichole

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Out of the Tulgey Wood chapter 2

Six hours ago, Tumtum Tree - the Heart of the Tulgey Wood…

Hiccup lost all will to fight as he allowed the man that claimed to be the Jabberwock kiss him. This is not what he expected his first kiss would be like. He always fantasizes his first kiss with Astrid, though she would rather have a mugful of her own mixture of yaknog that she made last year than spend time with him. Plus, he didn't expect himself being fancied by a man and vice versa. Who is also a legendary dragon…but that fact doesn't…bother him much…right now…

Oh, head…is getting fuzzy.

Toothless held the waif-like boy close as he had his way with the boy's lips. He held the lip lock for a while until after five minutes let go to catch his breath. The dragon was quite pleased as he watched Hiccup pant from the long kiss. Seeing his cheeks red was quite an arousing sight.

Perhaps it was the Gods' gift to him…how else was he able to find his domain?

"You're so adorable, little one." Toothless said with a smile.

Hiccup blushed deeply as he looked away. "Sh-shut up!" he tried to sound angry, trying to show that he didn't enjoy it. But his whole face and body betrayed him. Gods...where did this guy learn how to kiss like that?!

Hell, he almost forgot who Astrid is!

"Oh, come now. Don't be that way. I really mean it. You're too cute for words, Hiccup." Toothless purred as he lifted the boy's chin to gaze into his eyes.

Hiccup looked up, feeling the sensation of being lost in the toxic green of the latter's eyes; young and mischievous yet held infinite knowledge of the world. How could a creature such as the one in front of him be contrary to what he heard from stories?

"Well...if you put it that way...you're not quite bad-looking yourself..."

Is that the best he got?!

Not quite bad-looking?!

A pleasant laugh escaped from his lips as Toothless placed his hands upon the latter's hips, taking note that he seemed quite curvy. "Thank you very much. I try to look my best," then he gazed down at him with half-hooded eyes, smiling charmingly at him. "Now then, shall we be on our way?"

"Yes." The smaller boy replied softly. Somehow he knew what the dragon was thinking, since he risked life and limb to actually find this place, it makes sense that he was giving him some sort of reward. Whether or not he was going to keep it on his end, well…it's a gamble that he was willing to take.

Toothless smiled before snapping his fingers, Hiccup felt the ground shake a bit before looking over to see that another set of stepping stones rose up as a medium portion of the wall slid down to reveal a door. He stared in bafflement before turning to the dragon, who in turn simply smirked.

"Magic," he simply said.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Of course…" he muttered sarcastically, allowing the taller teen to lead him into the tunnel.

He knew that he was throwing caution to the wind, but what is wrong with taking a blind leap of faith?

* * *

Present…

"That's impossible, there is no way that the man that Hiccup brought along with him couldn't be the Jabberwock!"

The members of the village councel, including the village elder, have gathered in the Great Hall for a meeting, concerning about the man that Hiccup brought with him and the fact that he claimed that it was indeed the feared beast of Tulgey Wood. Stoick stood in front of the roaring center pyre as theories and disbelief arose around him. Like his given name, he stood impassively with his beefy arms crossed over his chest. But internally, he was asking all questions, but gained no straight answer.

He and Gobber barely escaped the jaws of the Bandersnatch…almost had his friend killed by the Jub Jub Bird…there is even that one incident that a small blue creature that has stolen their socks, only the left ones though. Even to this day, Gobber still had no idea why, but that doesn't stop him from suiting up and arming himself with his trusted and favorite mace in order to hunt down that creature. He even named the said weapon Vera…

But that was not the point.

The point concerns about this young man that claimed to be the Jabberwock, who is currently taken up residence in his house.

And right at this moment, in his son's bed.

Oh, how he reacted when this…_beast_…suggested that he should share the same bed as Hiccup last night…

-Last night-

"You want to WHAT?!"

Hiccup flinched at the bellowing voice that his father was well known for. Toothless, on the other hand, just cleared out one of his ears with his little finger, looking bored.

"You heard me, Haddock…" he spoke casually, ignoring the look of ire on the larger human's face. "I would like to share a bed with Hiccup."

A growl escaped from the chief's lips as he glared daggers at the so-called legendary dragon, who just simply flicks a speck off of his finger somewhere. How…_DARE_ this…this…devil show him disrespect!? He is Stoick Haddock the Vast, the Chief of Berk village, and yet this man, the most powerful of the Tulgey Wood beasts and a feared dragon, even requested to share the same bed as his son?

With the gods in Heaven as his witnesses, he will not falter! Not before, and not tonight. "You think you could waltz in my village…"

"Technically, I escorted my sweet Hiccup back here this morning," Toothless cut in, still sounding unimpressed.

Stoick ignored that as he continued. "Claim that you are the Jabberwock…"

"I am."

"And yet you think that you have the right to demand that you wanted to actually sleep with my SON!?"

The dark haired youth stared up at the larger man, whose face was becoming the same shade as his hair and beard. He was breathing heavily after reaching up to an outburst, resembling a bull that came across a waving flag at the wrong time. After what seemed like a few moments, Toothless finally spoke up.

"Well, yeah. I _am_ the Tulgey Wood King."

Hiccup was surprised on how relaxed Toothless' tone sounded; it was as if since he has the said rank, he was expecting some special treatment. He could pick up a hint of humor in his voice, relishing on spreading ire in his father. Needless to say that it was rather bold of him…

But then again, Toothless is not really human…

Stoick, on the other hand, doesn't seem amused. In fact, his face has an interesting shade of puce while looking like he was about to explode at any minute. Hiccup softly gulped as he shifted his gaze on his father and his…destined partner (for a better lack of definition).

"You…you DEVIL!" he practically roared, making Hiccup winced. He could wake up the entire village with that voice; it was louder than a roar of any kind of beast known to man. However, Toothless stood his ground, not looking at least affected by the sheer sound. "I don't care if you are the Jabberwock or not, I will not let you have your way while you're in my village. Especially not tonight!"

The dark-haired man blinked before his eyes narrowed into a bone-chilling glare, it might be Hiccup's imagination, but he could have sworn that the pupils in Toothless' eyes became slit like a cat's.

"So…you don't care if I'm the real deal or not, is that right?" his voice was now low and dangerous, devoid of any sign of the teasing humor. Hiccup glanced over to his father, who stiffened up. He had never seen him scared before; this man is known for staring Death right in the face and laugh at the possibility of him dying early in this life. But yet…Toothless here…at least more than a half of the body mass, managed to pierce fear right into him.

However, like Stoick said, he won't stand Toothless of having his way, not even for tonight. Going against any form of reason, he reached for his hidden dagger and quickly aimed it at the arrogant man's jugular, ignoring Hiccup's cry of shock.

What he doesn't expect was the dark haired man to not only pushing his son out of the way, but also grabbing his wrist within a blink of an eye. Then with a quick and harsh twist, the larger man found himself face to face with the floorboards with Toothless holding him in a tight hammerlock, feeling his fingers on the back of his throat to keep him secured. He tried to make an attempt to get up, but the younger man kept him down in the hold.

He is quite strong, for someone so thin.

"D-damn you…" he cursed before felt himself being pressed down further to the floor.

From the corner of his eye, Stoick would see the threatening glare from Toothless; his eyes are enough to kill a man. Even when they're slit like a cat's or a reptile's…

"Now listen to me, you stubborn jackass…" he heard Toothless growled out. "I've been around here a lot longer even before your kind decided to make this part of the woods your turf. And so far, I have to tolerate the fact that you and your friends have to galumph around in my territory like you own the place."

Then Stoick felt something sharp pricking the skin of his thick neck. It was amazing that he didn't react at the fact that he was feeling claws.

"But if you won't let me indulge my needs…that is when I stop playing nice." A smile split his face, revealing a mouthful of sharp-looking teeth.

"And I highly doubt that you would like it…"

That is when Hiccup decided that he was quiet long enough, now that they both have their say…time for his!

He strides over to them and dared to place his hands upon Toothless' shoulders, despite the possibility of him might get slashed.

"Toothless, please enough of this," Hiccup spoke in a firm and steady tone, despite feeling fear. "I know that my father can have some…stubborn issues…but I think this would be better if we're all allies instead of enemies? That way, we can earn benefits from each other, if possible…"

The dark haired man looked over to him from the corner of his eye, never loosening his grip on his father even for a fraction. He felt Toothless' eyes bore into him for at least 50 seconds (yes, he counted…) until a sigh escaped from his lips and he turned to him with an apologetic smile.

"You're right…I didn't act nice as I promised and had my temper get the best of me. I'm sorry, Hic." Then he finally released his hold on Stoick's neck, lifting his weight off of the larger man. The chief stared up at him in confusion as Toothless offers him a hand.

"And I apologize on my actions, sir…now, about the sleeping arrangement…"

* * *

Present…

And in the end…Stoick the Vast, gave into the damned Devil spawn's demands.

As much it irked him, he had gotten the taste on why…Toothless…earned his title as the "King of the Tulgey Wood". Admittedly, he was surprised on how easily Hiccup soothed him from killing him. If he hasn't intervened on that night…well, Stoick wouldn't be standing here right now.

"So…what are we going to do?" Gobber spoke up, breaking his thoughts. "It's yer call."

Stoick could only stare at his oldest friend before turning his attention to the fire, trying to think of a good enough answer.

"What _can_ we do?"

"Ah…ahhhhhh-CHOO!"

Toothless sniffed as he sat up from bed, rubbing his nose a bit. Hiccup sat up as well, looking over at his bedmate with concern.

"You ok?" he asked.

The older teen shrugged in confusion.

"I'm not sure…it felt like someone's talking about me."

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Ok, now it's up to you folks to decide on which of the lucky Hairy Hooligan get their own chapter on how they reacted :D

That is if you want to and wanted to be surprised, I get it. Please leave a comment or review.


	3. Chapter 3: Snotlout

This chapter is unedited due to my usual beta just got back from her vacation, and I don't wanna bother her. I apologize if there are some mistakes that I overlooked.

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It was no secret that Snotlout Jorgenson had a certain dislike of his cousin, Hiccup.

Well, to put it bluntly, he had been Hiccup's number one tormenter since they were little kids. There was this one incident that he purposely unleashed the boar pin and had the poor lad heading for the hills in order to outrun the stampede. He made no secret that he wanted to be the village chief because he fit the ideals of a Viking warrior:

Brawns

Muscles

And…well, brawns

Not to mention that he is responsible for daring Hiccup into slaying the Jabberwock in order to be allowed in to be "accepted", though that is not really possible since Snotlout would be more than likely to not hold up his side of the bargain. However, what he didn't expect was the village outcast to bring back the fabled beast- ALIVE, mind you- and became the talk of the town.

Oh, and the possibility of Chief Stoick Haddock of giving him the Blood Eagle treatment or worse.

Now, he is currently at the Great Hall for breakfast…watching Hiccup flirt with the fabled Jabberwock. At least, it LOOKED like flirting.

Snotlout didn't know what to think- another feat that he failed at- here he is, currently trying to start on his breakfast, trying to make sense of the current situation before him, and the two seemingly ignore the fact that they have an audience around them. He watched as Toothless, that is what he heard from yesterday, kinda stupid in his opinion- stared at the roasted whole fish that he picked up from his own plateful as Hiccup lectures him about something before seeing the dark-haired man tilting his head back a bit and practically chomped the entire fish head off.

Then he started to finish off the rest of it, bones and everything.

While it unnerved most of the people around them, Hiccup, on the other hand seemed to be surprised; intrigued him in fact, he could see the tiny shoulders shook, probably laughing, and said something else as the Jabberwock works on another one.

Who gets intrigued at the sight of a man devouring the entire fish?!

Snotlout gave a good look around the dining room, seeing that no one made a move or a sound, even though that they all have seen the same thing. They just went back to their own business, leaving Hiccup and that…_thing_…to their own world. Scoffing at how they are not behaving the Viking way, he decided to take it into his own hands.

He's not a Jorgenson for nothing

* * *

"I still don't get why you have to cook your kill…"

Toothless studied the burnt piece of fish between his fingers before taking a whiff, grimacing that he didn't smell any of the fresh blood and seawater. Those are the best flavors…

Hiccup smiled as he picked up his own piece of fish. He glanced over to Toothless' plate and was amazed at the amount. Compared to an average Viking appetite, he could eat three times more than the entire village combined. But then again, he is a dragon after all…

"Well, we humans can't eat things raw, we'll get sick from the bacteria and such," Hiccup explained the best he could. "You, on the other hand, are lucky. You seem to have been built differently than us."

Toothless let out a hum as he took in what Hiccup have said while staring at the dried face of the dead fish. He tilted his back a bit for leverage before lowering the fish down to bite off the entire head. Hiccup blinked in surprise, while still holding his own piece of fish. He found himself not able to look away as Toothless finished off the rest of his meal, not at all bothered by the tiny bones.

"Not that bad," Toothless admitted, licking the oil and fish bits off of his fingers before picking up a whole trout.

Hiccup watched as he devoured the fish before giggling a bit. "See? It's like my Mom used to say, nothing ventured, nothing gained."

The dragon looked over to him, with the fish's tail dangling between his lips. For a legendary beast, he is rather cute in his opinion. "Is that so?" Though to Hiccup's ears, it sounded like "id dats tho."

"Don't talk with your mouth is full," it was a scolding command but still had a teasing tone to it.

Toothless ate what is remaining of his meal before licking his lips and smirked at the smaller boy. "You think you have control over me, aren't ya?" he purred, leering slightly at him. He propped his elbow upon the oak wood table, resting his cheek upon his palm as Toothless gazed at him in a loving fashion. As if taking in all the details of his face in, despite having seen it within a few days.

Hiccup blushed a bit at the implications behind those words, not to mention how tender he sounded. Growing up in Berk, there was an unwritten rule among Vikings that showing emotion is the same as showing weakness. He was amazed that he didn't end up a mopey kid who constantly whines over the littlest of things just because he didn't get enough hugs from his Dad. And that was saying something. But Toothless here, he wasn't afraid to show his interest, and two nights ago, they're quite evident of it.

Cliché as it sound, Hiccup honestly never felt this way with anyone in his fourteen years. Even though he could be shameless at times, Toothless kept his (unspoken) word to not bring harm to the village. And so far, he never hurt him as well. Especially whenever they are alone…maybe it was just him, but whenever Toothless spoke to him, there was a slight tenderness in both his voice and his gaze. While he doesn't know the exact nature of their relationship, he has a feeling in his gut that he could trust him. Perhaps…maybe…even lo-

His train of thought suddenly stopped when Hiccup noticed Toothless shifting his gaze shifted over his shoulder, tenderness is now replaced by annoyance and what seemed to be disdain. Someone's behind him…

"Morning, Useless," came the familiar arrogant voice behind him.

Oh, of course…his dear cousin, Snotlout.

A sigh escaped from his lips as he glanced over to the taller teen with disinterest. "Oh, hey, Snotlout…" already his morning was shot. Will it kill this guy to give him at least 30 minutes of peace?

…

Whom was he trying to kid? They're Vikings. Peace and quiet are worse than death to them. (Except for treaty signings, but those aren't important at the moment). Hiccup sighed through his nose, and turned back to his breakfast, hoping (fruitlessly) that his cousin would take a hint, have a few words, and just leave.

"I see that we have this so-called Jabberwock having breakfast with ya."

Gee, when did he notice? When he and Toothless went in, got their food, and sit down?

"Uh, who are you supposed to be?" The dark-haired man finally spoke up, sounding a bit disinterested. He stared up at the teen with cool electric-green eyes.

Like the patrons of the Great Hall, he is quite muscular, even though he is somewhere around Hiccup's age. From the looks of him, he doesn't seem to be well equipped in the brains department. In fact…he doesn't LOOK smart. At all…

Toothless resisted the urge to tract his claws when the brunet smirked hideously. He doesn't know why, but something about him just screamed out "maul me"!

"The name's Snotlout Jorgenson, Berk's future chief!" he gloated, flexing both of his arms to indicate that he is the strongest. Already he have an urge to rip his face off, there is something about him that Toothless really wanted to flay him alive.

"He's also my cousin."

That alone made Toothless double take on Hiccup, lifting his face off of his palm to look at him.

"Wait WHAT?!" he takes a look at Snotlout, and then Hiccup. Then back to Snotlout again. Then to Hiccup once more…

"I can't see the resemblance."

Hiccup was about to say something but Snotlout already beat him to it.

"I know! I have no idea how I'm related to this weakling. I mean, look at him! It's understandable that he's a pathetic example of a Viking, but he's nothing compared to you."

That is when Hiccup's heart stopped for a minute. Oh dear Gods…he wasn't…

"You're the Jabberwock that everyone is afraid of?" A scoff followed before he continues. "I always thought that you're some fearsome beast! I guess I was wrong. From what I see if just some weakling pretty boy. And what kind of a name is Toothless anyway? That is so sad…"

…He did.

The memories of the encounter from last night emerge as he looked over to Toothless on the corner of his eye. He seemed calm, which is an impressive feat for a powerful creature. However the atmosphere around within the building suddenly grew tense, Hiccup moved his eyes around within his field of vision, seeing everyone that have turned in their seats and stared directly at them. Watching…waiting…

To see how the fabled Jabberwock react to such prideful jest and what the outcome would be.

What they didn't except was Toothless was throwing his head back and laugh, and due to the silence, it echoed throughout the building.

Hiccup stared at him with shock before looking over and found the exact same expression on his cousin's face. Apparently he didn't expect that kind of reaction. After a moment, Toothless finally calmed down and let out an exaggerated sigh as he fluidly stood up from his seat.

"I gotta admit…that is pretty impressive…walking up and say that in my face," then he faced Snotlout, who visibly flinched when he noticed a relaxed smile on his face. Probably too relaxed…

"And I have no idea that I'm quite infamous around this town, even though I didn't get out much." He let out a dramatic sigh as he shrugged. "It's quite sad, really. I mean, a few years as a recluse and already you got rumors flying around you. But hey, what can you do? Kept the imagination flowing like water and the girls swooning," Toothless looked over and spotted a small group of young girls and flirtatiously winked at them. The result was in his favor as they swoon.

Snotlout scowled at this, he really tried to impress the girls with his muscles for years! Mostly Astrid, since she's the most beautiful girl in the village…but this guy, it just comes naturally to him, and he wasn't even human…

Or so he had heard.

"HOWEVER…" Snotlout blinked as he regained his attention on the other man. Wait…when did he got in front of him!? "As much as I am amazed on how much balls you have, there is one thing that I won't stand…"

Before he could even react, Snotlout felt nothing underneath his feet as Toothless effortlessly lifted him off of the ground, just by holding him by the collar with an amazing strength that he could only witness from either the Chief or his own father. He felt something twist in his stomach by the way that the dark-haired man glared at him with pure viciousness that he had never seen before.

"…is an arrogant prick like you insulting MY Hiccup in front of me." He sneered at him, revealing sharp looking canines. "And I don't take that very kindly."

He barely made notice of scrapping chairs (and an occasional thud) and the metal scrapping as every man and woman whipped out their weapon. He doesn't care…they're nothing but mere toys to him. Besides, this irritating little hatchling should learn a lesson.

His sensitive ears picked up a sigh behind him, Toothless glanced over a bit to find Hiccup staring up at him, undisturbed by the fact that he is threatening his cousin. Or that everyone was their weapons drawn out.

"Please drop him…it's not worth the effort."

Snotlout was shocked at how relaxed Hiccup sounded, not even the fact that he is in danger fazed him! What surprised him even further is the response.

"Don't worry, I'm still holding up my promise…" he reassured him, he could almost hear a sound of tenderness in his voice. Tender? For the Useless?! "Besides…someone needs to put him in his place."

Then Toothless turned back to him, his electric green eyes narrowed at him. Daring to let him see what happens if he makes a witty retort.

"Now listen here, Snotface…" he growled, his threatening tone was different from the one he used for Hiccup. The latter was too busy trying not to soil his pants to correct him, something inside of his head was telling him that it would be a bad idea. "If I find you trying to mess with Hiccup again, I will find out where. You. _LIVE_." He spoke each word as if they're separate sentences, but managed to get the point across. Toothless pulled him closer, revealing his sharp teeth. Snotlout could only do so much to inch his head away, afraid that he might bite his nose off. "You got it through your thick skull?"

A gulp was heard as Snotlout rapidly nodded, showing that he understood. He was hoping that the other teen will show a bit of mercy.

Thankfully, he seemed satisfied. "Good…" then he released his hold on his collar, allowing gravity do its wonders and bring Snotlout down on his ass. A grunt of pain was heard but Toothless ignored him. The dark-haired man turned back to Hiccup, a loving smile adorn back on his lips.

"Now…where were we?" there was a purr in the way he spoke as Toothless took his seat next to Hiccup once more.

The redhead smiled back as he wordlessly scooted closer to him, not before bringing their breakfast. They tuned out the world around them while Toothless took out a piece of fish and brought it to Hiccup's lips, to which that the other boy accepted the piece. Embarrassed by the open act of affection between the two, everyone in the building awkwardly placed their weapons away as they went back to what they're previously doing. All the while trying to ignore the sight of Snoutlout pathetically crawls away from Toothless' and Hiccup's table, slowly as possible, hoping that he wouldn't anger the dragon any further.

This has become an interesting morning for Berk…

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Please leave a critique and/or review


	4. Chapter 4: Astrid

Please enjoy the next Berk villager reaction chapter/fourth installment of Out of the Tulgey Wood and into Berk village! Featuring a certain shieldmaiden who made the axe her companion cube!

Warning: This chapter may feature one or few of the characters experiencing a sudden case of OOC symptom, viewer discretion is advised.

I still do not own either Alice in Wonderland series or How to Train Your Dragon, they are both respectively owned by Lewis Carrol and Cressida Cowell.

Out of the Tulgey Wood chapter 4: Astrid

* * *

_Thunk…_

_Thunk…_

_Thunk…_

Gods, she would never get tired of that sound, every time she tosses her axe into the tree as the blade embedded itself into the thick bark. This is her normal routine…wake up at the crack of dawn, head out to the woods (but not too near of the Tulgey Wood territory), and train. Rinse, lather, and repeat.

However, there are other uses such as stress relief.

Astrid yanked her axe out of the tree before flinging it to the next one to be its victim.

Damn that felt good.

She is considered the prime example of a shieldmaiden. Strong…tough…never afraid of anything…

Taken the traditions to heart and know that certain forces within the Tulgey Wood are never to be trifled with.

However, just about yesterday…that all changed.

From what she heard from Fishlegs, Snotlout dared Hiccup, the village runt, to venture out into the woods to bring back the head or heart of the fearsome Jabberwock. Astrid honestly thought that he wouldn't even take up a dare like that…but she was proven wrong when the next morning, she noticed that only Gobber was at the forge.

And Hiccup was nowhere in sight…

As usual, Snotlout will be getting an earful from the village chief when he finds out about this. And lo and behold, he does. That is until Stoick shows the reason why he is the leader of their village…she knew that fear is a sign of weakness. But not once Astrid has witnessed such a fury since the death of his wife. Just seeing it up close and personal is…frightening.

Then next thing she knew…Hiccup suddenly shows up, all alive and well.

Only he didn't come back alone.

With him was probably the most handsome man that she had ever seen. The only way to describe his appearance is the work of gods. A strong jawline, high cheekbones, lean but slightly muscular body…he is an ideal man of any woman's dreams; the very definition of "tall, dark, and handsome" type. Astrid rolled her eyes as she recalled the village girls gush over him, saying that he is better looking than Snotlout. Well, actually…he's better than ALL of the men in their village. She could give him points for that…but while she doesn't feel attracted to him as they are (Astrid have standards, after all), for some odd reason, seeing Hiccup with that man somehow made her heart twist uncomfortably underneath her ribcage.

Hiccup…

The village runt…Disaster personified…the accident prone idiot who doesn't seem to fit the ideals of Viking tradition!

So weak…so clumsy…

But yet…that part of him is kind of adorable…

Astrid blinked as she gripped the handle of her axe. Did she think of him as adorable just now?!

She gritted her teeth as her knuckles became white, because of how hard her grip was around the handle. Then with a roar, Astrid pulled her double axe out so hard out of the bark that she used the rush to give her enough strength to blindly split another tree down the middle. It only left behind a ragged split, leaving the blade deep within the bark. Astrid was breathing heavily a result, glaring at the tree; she didn't know whether it was from adrenaline rush or frustration.

How…how could she, Astrid Hofferson, the upcoming Viking warrior and best shieldmaiden, would think that someone like…like…Hiccup…be adorable!

All Hiccup ever did was rely on inventing those un-Viking-like contraptions…and draw those silly pictures…yet they're kind of good…

But he only thing that he was good for was sharpening weaponry and repairs!

….Though, he did rebalance her axe one time….

No…NO!

He's Hiccup the Useless! Always was and will be! There is no way that he could take on the Chieftain duties, even if Stoick allow it!

After having a moment of clashing views on the said boy, Astrid took a moment to take a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She had done this a few times, until she was finally calmed down a bit, even though she was still feeling a bit tense and rigid.

Even though Hiccup doesn't fit the Viking way…there is something about him that she couldn't help but admire. And…he wasn't like his idiot cousin, while the latter use lame (and often lewd) pickup lines, Hiccup on the other hand, just fumble over his words. But he's mostly sincere…and…sweet…

His sarcasm is kinda funny…

…And he also has the cutest smile…

A frustrated growl escaped from her lips as she stalked over to the tree and practically ripped her axe out of the bark, marring it further.

How is it that someone like _him_ made her feel so…so…

"…girly…?" Astrid sighed as she lightly tapped her forehead against the mangled tree. Looking back, she wasn't too proud on how she treated him when they are children…but he was the only one who actually respected her just by being, well, Hiccup. Not to mention that he's really, really sweet.

And truthfully…that is one of the things she liked about him.

But now, he has the Jabberwock to worry about. Now that she thought about it, when Hiccup came back to the village with the creature - which she found out was called Toothless; only Thor knows why- Astrid noticed that, not once when he returned, Hiccup glanced at her way.

It was like he had forgotten about her in one night. The only thing that got his attention is that cursed so-called dragon!

What is even stranger is that the Jabberwock gave her an evil eye when he found her staring at them…it was like he was going to bite her head off if she would even dare to make one step towards them. Not to mention, when Hiccup mentioned certain terms to the bet, he looked up to the taller teen with adoration.

The same adoration that he once held for her…

Another sigh escaped from her lips again before looking up to the sky. Almost noon, and she skipped breakfast in favor of releasing stress. The thought of food made her stomach growl in protest, making Astrid frown.

"I guess, I could make it for brunch," she muttered to herself before making her way back to the village though a familiar path.

Maybe she can think more clearly if she has something in her stomach…

* * *

Berk Village…

When she finally got back to the village, Astrid passes by some girls who were chattering animatedly among themselves. She inwardly rolled her eyes at this…sometimes she was glad that she's not like them. At least she's doing something more productive than gossip…and gush over boys...

"It's true! I really saw the whole thing!" one of them spoke up, a little bit too excitedly. "That Jabberwock guy had finally done something that hasn't been done in a long time…he finally placed that snot-face Snotlout in his place!"

The sound of multiple gasps was heard as the girls drew near, while Astrid was slowing her pace down.

"Really?" the other girl asked, sounding amazed.

The gossiper nodded. "Yeah, and he did that to defend Hiccup!"

Those words alone made Astrid stop in her tracks.

Hiccup…?!

"Seriously? What's so special about him?"

That is a good question…she has been wondering on what kind of method he used to tame the Jabberwock.

"I don't know all the details, maybe it was because of that stupid bet that Snotlout made…but this is Odin's honest truth, Hiccup and the Jabberwock are eating breakfast AND flirting!"

There were even louder gasps before being erupted into girlish giggles, as if it was the most scandalous thing since that one incident that Ruffnut had beaten her brother with a piece of fish. However, Astrid wasn't sure.

Hiccup isn't like that…

As far as she could remember, whenever Hiccup looked at her, he always has that look of admiration for her. But now that look is directed at that Jabberwock.

_I had to talk to Hiccup about this…_Astrid thought to herself.

With that goal in mind, Astrid made her way to the Great Hall, deciding that brunch should wait a bit longer.

* * *

Outside of Great Hall…

Astrid finally head over to the building where both meals and important meetings were held. She was about to head inside, until she saw the familiar mop of auburn hair and slim figure heading over to Gobber's forge. A small but genuine smile grew on her lips as she was about to wave at him with her free hand.

"Hic…" she was about to call out but cut short when she saw a certain someone walking up to him.

The damned Jabberwock…that Toothless guy…

Astrid watched as the taller man walked over to Hiccup with two pieces of cake, making Hiccup's face lit up at his presence. Toothless must have said something that made the smaller boy laugh as he took his share of the cake from him. Already she could feel that nagging, yet really painful, twist in her chest. It wasn't like she had felt before…

Sure she was wishing that she could get cut or burned as a badge of courage from battle, but this is different.

She couldn't recall her parents describing this kind of pain in their youth or any time before she was born.

The shieldmaiden grimaced when the dark-haired man bent down to place a loving kiss upon Hiccup's cheek, completely without shame. What really made her tighten her hold around the axe handle is the way the smaller boy reacted to that, he smiled.

Not at all bothered at the fact that they're both men…

Astrid ground her teeth- actually _ground_- and before she could even think, her legs went on autopilot and stalk towards the two. Her axe was slightly shaking in her hand in the process, as if thirsting for blood.

"YOU!" she practically roared.

That seemed to gain both of their attention, along with their reactions.

Hiccup seemed to have gotten a few feet off of the ground, barely caught his cake in the process, before whipping his head to see her, looking like a rabbit that was cornered by a wolf.

The Jabberwock, on the other hand, just nonchalantly turned to the side. As if he just laid eyes on the most boring thing in existence. The mere thought of that indication actually made her see red. Fortunately, Hiccup was there, being his usual self. Although he does look scared…

"A-Astrid! Hey-hey, Astrid…hi, Astrid…" then he stopped himself when he realized that he was sounding like a babbling idiot. Which he usually does back when he still had a crush on her…

Back in the day, he would just fumble over his words while trying to make a conversation with his crush. Though right now, not only he couldn't feel anything for her now (no longer a crush, but he doesn't know if they could be considered friends since they…rarely interacted), Hiccup was wondering what might have set Astrid off in a wrong way.

He had learned long ago that she could hold a grudge…and her temper is enough to scare all livestock to not produce any milk or eggs. Oh and her way of solving her problems involve weapons. Lots and lots of weapons…

But still, couldn't hurt but to be civil, right?

"Um…do you have a good morning?"

Astrid seemed to have ignored his question as she glared at Toothless.

"What is IT doing here?!" she questioned, pointing at the taller man with her axe.

Well, so much for being civil…wait, did she just refer to Toothless as an "it"?

Toothless seemed to be unimpressed as he stared at her blankly for a good moment.

"I'm sorry but who are you?" it was a genuine question, but from his tone, he sounded like he wouldn't give a two copper pieces of whatever business she has to offer. A small smirk played upon his lips when he sees the blonde girl getting more aggravated, a growl escaped from her lips as she snarled at him like a beast.

This is going to be a fun morning for him…maybe this one will be more fun than that snot-faced idiot.

Hiccup seemed to be oblivious, still wondering why Astrid, of all people, would be angry at Toothless. This is the first time that they have been properly introduced after all.

"Alright…introductions…" he chuckled awkwardly, hoping to break the tension. "Toothless, this is Astrid Hofferson." Then he looked over to Astrid, who is still glaring at the brunet. "Astrid, this is Toothless. The Jabberwock…"

"I know…" she spoke to him, for the first time, mind you. "I just couldn't believe it."

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Toothless stated. "How is it even possible that you managed to make it seem like you have a bigger pair of junk than the last guy. What's his name again…Snotface? Booger Idiot?"

The dragon inwardly grinned to himself as he watched the shieldmaiden grit teeth, marring her beautiful face. Her cheeks were flushed with red, from anger or embarrassment, he does not know. Both are the possibility.

"What…what did you say?" she growled out.

Hiccup gulped as he looked between Toothless and Astrid. Already she had the look that can kill a man. And what was Toothless thinking?! Was he trying to pick a fight with her?!

"Oh, nothing," he replied nonchalantly. "It's just that I'm pointing out that you're quite buff for a female. Or, should I describe you as 'she-male'?"

Of course, he's trying to pick a fight with her!

If there are at least a 1000 Worst Case Scenarios, this is definitely one of them. Toothless, the legendary Jabberwock of the Tulgey Wood, pitting against Astrid Hofferson, possibly the strongest girl of their generation. Duking out in the middle of the village…

This could be worse than the upcoming battle between Thor and Loki…but that's another story.

Sensing a storm brewing, Hiccup thought it might be a good time to move back a few steps, in case it gets ugly, which is getting there real fast…

Astrid practically looked maniacal and with a roar, she swung her axe upwards before bringing it down to slice Toothless.

"Toothless!" he cried out.

Everything went into slow motion for a second; he could have sworn that there was a smirk played about on Toothless' lips before time resume its normal pace again. Hiccup must have blinked but he did let out a gasp of amazement when he saw Toothless sidestepping away from Astrid's blow and was gripping her dominant hand which held the axe.

"Is that all you got?" he asked smugly.

Anger flashed through her icy blue eyes as she glared up at him. That arrogant little…

"Don't UNDERESTIMATE ME!" as soon as she spoke those words, Astrid yanked her hand out of his grip before swinging a left hook, hoping to punch away that irksome smirk. A growl of frustration was heard when she missed again, growing more and more irritated each time the raven-haired man dodged her every move.

All the while keeping the cake he has intact.

"Keep still!" Toothless only grinned as he dodged another swing and kept continuing this dance while at the same time wordlessly taunting her. All the while Hiccup was just watching as he enjoyed his cake.

"This is really good cake…" he commented as he took another bite before looking up. "How'd you get this?"

The dark-haired man elegantly maneuvered out of Astrid's way, like a snake upon still water. "Came across this bakery while you made sure that no one is gonna ambush us when our backs are turned," he answered. "This lady is generous enough to give two pieces for free…" As soon as his back hits the wall, the blonde girl sees it as her chance to corner him.

However Toothless just smiled as he simply moved his head out of the blade's way, hearing the wood split beside him.

"I think it's my dashing good looks…" then he looked over and gave Hiccup a saucy wink, feeling satisfied when he saw red blooming on the smaller boy's cheeks. Astrid seemed to notice this and formed her free hand into a fist.

"As if, _Toothless_!" She snarled, spitting out his name as if it were a curse. "Which you WILL be living up to your name!" Then Astrid threw her fist forward to his face, full intent on bashing his teeth out.

Toothless glanced up at her and quickly blocked her fist, gripping her hand tightly in her palm as he looked straight at her glaring face. His expression was calm and composed, contrasting to his arrogant behavior earlier.

"…I think I have enough of work out for one morning…time to end this trivial matter."

He tossed his cake up into the air, momentarily distracted the shieldmaiden. Toothless used that opportunity to his advantage to quickly twist her wrist to strike a pressure point in the middle of her palm with only two fingers. Astrid gasped when she felt pain shot throughout of her entire hand, leaving her no choice but to release her hold on the axe, only to realize the one thing that it lead to her downfall.

Toothless rammed his head forward into a hard head-butt, causing her to stumble backwards, holding her injured head as she groaned in pain. He smiled in triumph as he casually held his hand palm up to effortlessly catch his cake before taking a bite out of it.

"…You're right, Hiccup, it is good." He spoke, looking over to Hiccup's direction, acting as if the fight that happened between him and Astrid never happened.

The auburn boy gave her a small smile as he turned to the shieldmaiden who quickly regained her composure. Maybe it was time for him to finally make his say in this. "Astrid, what is wrong with you?" he asked, again, attempting to be civil. "I mean, I can understand if you have some bad…" then he paused as he though over his words for a moment. This is, after all, Astrid, he was talking to here. Surprisingly, the Norns are strangely kind to him today…

"_Really_ bad mornings as much as everyone else, but you don't have to take it out on Toothless. It would leave a bad impression on you."

Normally he would think about the consequences about talking to Astrid. But if he took a moment to think about it, Hiccup would have realized that he's a bit more-dare he say it?- confident.

Confident…not to mention a bit bolder by the way he spoke to Astrid…he had never thought that it would be possible, even for him.

But now that he is with Toothless (which he is still wondering what is the nature of their relationship is), Hiccup is suddenly more comfortable enough to walk around the village with ease. This morning at breakfast proved that, Snotlout haven't even made another attempt to mess with him after Toothless made that threat to him.

Anyway, back to the current situation…

Now that he is talking to her, why in Helhiem is she angry at Toothless?!

Astrid looked up to him as soon as she recovered. Since when did Hiccup grow a backbone?

But more importantly…doesn't HE know what he was doing?! With that…that…thing?!

"What's wrong with me?" she questioned as she stood up straight before glaring at Hiccup, who didn't budged an inch. "What's wrong with me?! The real question is what's wrong with you!?" Astrid jabbed a finger at Hiccup's face, making him bend backwards so that he wouldn't get his eye poked out.

Already, Toothless was about to make a move, in any case she does something.

Hiccup just blinked owlishly as he looked at her.

"…me?" he asked innocently, pointing at himself. Now what did _he_ do?! Other than existing that is.

"Yes, you!" Astrid roared, jabbing her finger forward again which forced Hiccup to take a step backwards to get away from it. "How in the name of all Nine Worlds are you ok about associating with…with that THING!" to place an emphasis on the last part, she shifted her pointing finger over to Toothless. The said dark-haired man stared at her with an elegant dark eyebrow raised at such a comment.

"Is that all you can come up with?" he questioned, sounding almost disappointed.

A growl was his only response as Astrid shot daggers at him, Toothless just shrug it off. He had to admit, she's quite good…that attitude of hers desperately need some fixing. However, even though he could relax at the fact that she won't be attacking him, doesn't mean that he shouldn't drop his guard for a minute when it concerns Hiccup. He fixated his attention on the blonde girl, just in case she does something while at the same time sending her a glare of his own.

"How am I…why does that concern you?!" Hiccup's voice broke their glare off, regaining their attention. He remained oblivious their miniature glare off and continued speaking. "Just because I'm with Toothless now, doesn't make it your business why I hang out with him!"

"Hiccup…he's the JABBERWOCK," she placed a huge emphasis on Toothless' species to get her point across, her expression was hardened and serious. "He' the King of the Tulgey Wood with jaws that bite and claws that snatch…and top of all, he's a guy!"

The auburn-haired boy blinked at this. Well…he already knew all that…but for the last part…

"Your point being?" it was a genuine question out of curiosity.

His answer from the shieldmaiden came in the form of a frustrated sigh. He was half-expecting her to punch him or something but thankfully she did none of those things.

"You two are guys…you can't…you can't…." then all words fell from her lips when she couldn't voice out the very thing that she witnessed.

"Can't…_what_?"

To his surprise, her intense, hardened face suddenly softens. He had never seen that kind of look on her before. First her actually going out of her way and now this, what changed?

"Because…um…I…uh..."

It seemed that she was having a hard time coming up something to say to him, yet another thing that is un-Astrid-like of her. In fact, she seemed to be fidgeting a bit! This is too bizarre, even for his standards.

Maybe it was because that he brought back the Jabberwock…nah, that's too easy.

Normally speaking on what is on her mind is no impossible feat for her, disregarding any feelings being offended; thus giving a whole new meaning of "brutal honesty". Her favorite form of advice is Honey and Hatchet, tell someone what they have to hear (the honey) before hitting them right in the head with something they don't (the hatchet). With Hiccup, it was no different, (mostly providing the hatchet part). Whenever try to talk to her, she tend to tell him off without any problem.

However…right now, it's not as easy.

_Damn it to the Gods and back!_ She mentally cursed to herself. _Why can't I just speak to him like I normally would?!_

As if, just telling him off from only one or few words are considered speaking to him.

Hiccup was just standing there, staring straight at her while waiting for her response. Somehow, she now knew how he felt whenever the redhead tried to talk to her occasionally.

A loud groan was heard, breaking Hiccup's attention away from her before settling on the Jabberwock, who looked absolutely bored. "This is a waste of time," he drawled, looking over to Hiccup. "Did you say that your workplace will be a bit busy if that Goober guy came along? I highly doubt that I would get to the grand tour that way."

A small smile played on the smaller boy's lips. "It's _Gobber_, Toothless, you're making it sound like some sort of nut." Astrid took note that his tone has a slight teasing air to it. If that were directed to her, she would have taken whatever he said seriously and punched him without a second thought. She straightened up a bit when Hiccup returned his attention back to her.

"I'm sorry, Astrid, but can we, um, talk another time? I'm kinda busy."

As soon as he said those words, Astrid just stared at him in disbelief, she vaguely noticed her heart had stopped for a second there and the uncomfortable twisting knot in her stomach. Hiccup was expecting her answer once more; it was amazing how patient he could be.

Patient…another trait that is considered un-Viking-like…

The only thing she could possibly do…was nod.

He seemed to be satisfied as he smiled a bit.

"Alright, I'll be seeing you later…" that was the last thing he could say, before leaving with…_Toothless_…to head over the forge. Leaving her alone with just her and the axe that was still embedded at the side of the random building.

It took a while for her to have those factors sink into her brain, before Astrid gritted her teeth and ripped her axe out of the wall, leaving behind a bigger crack to the point where you can peek inside.

Why…why couldn't she just admit it?! Sure, he wasn't the strongest examples of their village, but in a way, that makes him unique. And of course, she just shrugged it off as just him being weak. But when he brought the Jabberwock back, everything (sort of) changed…and maybe him being unique is not so bad after all.

And it took her this long to realize that…

If karma is a human and a woman…she is definitely cruel.

But…she's a shieldmaiden. A future Viking…she doesn't cry so easily…

She's a fighter, and failure is NEVER the option.

* * *

Author note(s):

Snotface – This is a call-back from the last chapter, Snotlout's full name (I think is actually Snotface Snotlout Jorgenson from the original novel series.

Before anyone…anyone who is a fan of Astrid…jump down in my throat and send me a flame-heated comment on how I bashed her. Please note that I don't mind her character, I actually respect her as an awesome example of a strong, confident young woman who knows how to kick ass and take names. It's just that I don't think she's right for Hiccup as a love interest in my opinion. (Took me another look at the film to see that). Plus, Toothless seemed to be the type to get under her skin. And also, I'm sorry if this chapter seemed rushed, but there is a possibility that we might see more of her. Maybe…we'll see in the next chapter of Berk Villager's Reaction POV!


End file.
